New member from Houston

[Guest guest]

Some of our members who have seen Dr. Hotze have spent lots of money and got little help. He does Rx Armour, but he also pushes a lot of expensive supplements, allergy testing, and progesterone. Check out our list of Texas Armour Docs in "Files" on our site. wrote: Hey ya'll,My name is . I was born in 1969 without a thyroid gland.Thankfully my folks found a GOOD pediatrician who figured this outwhen I was 4 months old, before any serious damage had been done. Iwas subsequently put on Armour thyroid for a while (not sure howlong), which my father later told

my husband made me "unstoppable".:-) Later my pediatrician put me on a combination of Synthroid andThyrolar, which apparently did me some good but not as good as theArmour. In my adolescence my mother took me to an endocrinologist whotook me OFF the Thyrolar and put me on Synthroid exclusively. Sincethen I have either been on Synthroid or a generic. We moved to Texasin 2001 from California (never did find a good doc there). A friendof my mother-in-law recommended a D.O. nearby who actually *listened*to me and didn't treat me like a lab rat. She was bold enough toprescribe to me levothyroxine at 175 mcg (I had been on 150 mcg foryears with very little benefit other than simply keeping me alive andbreathing). My energy level went up slightly. However, I believe nowthat I should either be on Armour again, or on a T4/T3 combinationagain. I believe I'm overmedicated with T4 (and during my last visitwith my doc -- not the

same one I started going to, since she moved upto Dallas -- he expressed concern about my higher-than-normal T4 levels).I will be calling a new doctor today who has a health & wellnesscenter in Katy. He is listed in the About.com Thyroid Disease "TopDocs" list with several good recommendations. His name is Dr. Hotze and the wellness center bears his name. They offer freeconsultations. I will keep ya'll posted as to how the consultationturns out and if I will continue to see him or one of his associates.Thanks for "listening" to the story of my low-thyroid life. :-)Take care, K.Houston, TX

Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

[Guest guest]

Well, money isn't something I have a great deal of, so it's a good

thing I mentioned him on this board before I called him! *wipes hand

across brow* Whew!

I will definitely be checking out your Armour Docs! :-) Thanks for

the heads-up!

~ K.

Houston, TX

[Guest guest]

Hi, :

What part of Houston are you in? I'm in Clear Lake, near the NASA

facility. You need Armour, plain and simple, although doctors don't

want to mess with it.

Jan has many wonderful resources on this site--check out the files

section. I listen to Dr. Hotze all the time, but I'm a bit skittish

about going after what Jan told me (same thing she told you, of

course.) He knows what to do, and his book explains everything. You

can also find a lot of info-for free on his site, www.drhotze.com. I

have a coworker who goes to him, and hasn't complained but did

acknowledge the expense.

Me? Well. . .I was seeing a doctor. . .but that's another story. . . .

Amy

[Guest guest]

Hi My name is . Welcome to our group. I live inLufkin about 120 miles N of Houston. It is is nice to meet you. I am sure you will find this group very useful.

Pickle

new member from Houston

Hey ya'll,My name is . I was born in 1969 without a thyroid gland.Thankfully my folks found a GOOD pediatrician who figured this outwhen I was 4 months old, before any serious damage had been done. Iwas subsequently put on Armour thyroid for a while (not sure howlong), which my father later told my husband made me "unstoppable".:-) Later my pediatrician put me on a combination of Synthroid andThyrolar, which apparently did me some good but not as good as theArmour. In my adolescence my mother took me to an endocrinologist whotook me OFF the Thyrolar and put me on Synthroid exclusively. Sincethen I have either been on Synthroid or a generic. We moved to Texasin 2001 from California (never did find a good doc there). A friendof my mother-in-law recommended a D.O. nearby who actually *listened*to me and didn't treat me like a lab rat. She was bold enough toprescribe to me levothyroxine at 175 mcg (I had been on 150 mcg foryears with very little benefit other than simply keeping me alive andbreathing). My energy level went up slightly. However, I believe nowthat I should either be on Armour again, or on a T4/T3 combinationagain. I believe I'm overmedicated with T4 (and during my last visitwith my doc -- not the same one I started going to, since she moved upto Dallas -- he expressed concern about my higher-than-normal T4 levels).I will be calling a new doctor today who has a health & wellnesscenter in Katy. He is listed in the About.com Thyroid Disease "TopDocs" list with several good recommendations. His name is Dr. Hotze and the wellness center bears his name. They offer freeconsultations. I will keep ya'll posted as to how the consultationturns out and if I will continue to see him or one of his associates.Thanks for "listening" to the story of my low-thyroid life. :-)Take care, K.Houston, TX

[Guest guest]

Hi Amy,

I'm in the northwest area (actually more west than north). I haven't

listened to Dr. Hotze (how do you say his name, anyway? LOL) on KSEV

yet but I think I might listen today. Still, I can't get him to

prescribe Armour for me simply by listening to him. There's another

doctor in Katy who supposedly prescribes Armour according to the

Armour Thyroid web site. His name is Dr. Victor Knopp, he's a GP, and

he's in the Katy area (not that far from me). I had posted a message

asking if anybody had heard of him. I'm actually thinking of calling

and asking if he's accepting new patients at this time.

Anyway, I hope you find a good doc in your area soon. :-)

~ K.

>

> Hi, :

>

> What part of Houston are you in? I'm in Clear Lake, near the NASA

> facility. You need Armour, plain and simple, although doctors don't

> want to mess with it.

>

> Jan has many wonderful resources on this site--check out the files

> section. I listen to Dr. Hotze all the time, but I'm a bit skittish

> about going after what Jan told me (same thing she told you, of

> course.) He knows what to do, and his book explains everything. You

> can also find a lot of info-for free on his site, www.drhotze.com. I

> have a coworker who goes to him, and hasn't complained but did

> acknowledge the expense.

>

> Me? Well. . .I was seeing a doctor. . .but that's another story. . . .

>

> Amy

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm one of those who went to Hotze several years ago. They were the

first to diagnose my thyroid problems and put me on Armour, so I am

extremely grateful for that. Have to be honest with you and say that

I wasn't overly pleased with the follow up. Lots of phone calls,

etc., but the emphasis is on expensive vitamins, supplements to rid

your body of yeast, vitamin shots, etc. They also do quite a few

tests when you come in that may not be necessary at your age.

Unfortunately when they have a narrow focus, they can overlook other

underlying medical conditions, which was the case for me.

On the positive side, they promote natural hormones and will also test

for allergies and provide natural alternatives for that as well. I

think the program could be extremely beneficial for some and restore

their health immensely, so I don't want to discourage you entirely.

They are upfront with their costs, but be sure to ask what the cost is

for supplements, etc. or your bill will be higher once you walk out

the door.

Best of luck.

susan

[Guest guest]

Hi , and thank you for the warm welcome. One of my former fellow

classmates from the Academy of Healthcare Professions (where I took a

medical coding & billing course) is from Lufkin, so I kinda know where

that is.

I agree, I think I will find the group useful. In fact, I already

have. :-)

Take care,

K.

>

> Hi My name is . Welcome to our group. I live inLufkin

about 120 miles N of Houston. It is is nice to meet you. I am sure

you will find this group very useful.

>

> Pickle

[Guest guest]

Hi , you are in my neck of the woods. I'm in

the Windsong subdivision (Little York/Barker Cypress).

Where are you?

--- wrote:

> Hi Amy,

>

> I'm in the northwest area (actually more west than

> north). I haven't

> listened to Dr. Hotze (how do you say his name,

> anyway? LOL) on KSEV

> yet but I think I might listen today. Still, I

> can't get him to

> prescribe Armour for me simply by listening to him.

> There's another

> doctor in Katy who supposedly prescribes Armour

> according to the

> Armour Thyroid web site. His name is Dr. Victor

> Knopp, he's a GP, and

> he's in the Katy area (not that far from me). I had

> posted a message

> asking if anybody had heard of him. I'm actually

> thinking of calling

> and asking if he's accepting new patients at this

> time.

>

> Anyway, I hope you find a good doc in your area

> soon. :-)

>

> ~ K.

>

>

> >

> > Hi, :

> >

> > What part of Houston are you in? I'm in Clear

> Lake, near the NASA

> > facility. You need Armour, plain and simple,

> although doctors don't

> > want to mess with it.

> >

> > Jan has many wonderful resources on this

> site--check out the files

> > section. I listen to Dr. Hotze all the time, but

> I'm a bit skittish

> > about going after what Jan told me (same thing she

> told you, of

> > course.) He knows what to do, and his book

> explains everything. You

> > can also find a lot of info-for free on his site,

> www.drhotze.com. I

> > have a coworker who goes to him, and hasn't

> complained but did

> > acknowledge the expense.

> >

> > Me? Well. . .I was seeing a doctor. . .but that's

> another story. . . .

> >

> > Amy

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I am hypothyroid and have been on synthroid for about 8 years. I

also take meds for depression and high blood pressure. In addition,

I have a history of endometriosis. I had a hysterectomy, endo

removed, and a bowel resection because of the severe endo in March

2006.

Recovery has been extremely slow and I am still very very tired all

the time. I saw my endocrinologist last week and had blood drawn,

now she wants to lower my synthroid from .175 mg to .15 mg. Because

of the way I'm feeling I don't think this is a good idea. I'm not

real happy with my current DOC and was wanting to find a new one.

My original hypothyroid diagnosis took a long time and many DOCs.

This was because they all just looked at my TSH. My TSH has always

been in the mid range but my T3 was usually at the bottom range and

sometimes below but they just ignored it. Because of this it took a

long time to find meds and the right doses to treat my depression.

My current endocrinologist looks at my TSH, Free T4 and Free T3. I

don't have the results of my latest blood test but the one before was

TSH 1.875 (0.350 - 5.500)

Free T4 1.27 (0.61 - 1.76)

Free T3 2.8 (2.3 - 4.2)

Are there other tests that should be done for someone who is

hypothyroid? Who are the best doctors in Houston to treat this

problem? Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

You may need a higher dose of $ynthroid, but $ynthroid is not all there is. Cytomel is synthetic T3 and usually is taken together with levothyroxine. Armour Thyroid is an extract of natural dessicated porcine thyroid glands from US-raised, corn-fed, USDA inspected food-grade hogs. It contains T3, T4 and trace amounts of all naturally occurring thyroid hormones. It can be taken alone or together with some synthetic T4, depending on what you need. Most docs will not prescribe either Armour or Cytomel. Most folks who want to try them need to find a doc known to prescribe them. The doc list is on our site in "Files."

You will note that there are very few endos on the list. With a few exceptions, most of the better thyroid docs are not endos. The very best ones are hypothyroid themselves and did not do well on the standard protocols. Docs in anti-aging/wellness type practices are often good thyroid docs. When you get your new lab results, you may want to post them. treetopp86 wrote: I am

hypothyroid and have been on synthroid for about 8 years. I also take meds for depression and high blood pressure. In addition, I have a history of endometriosis. I had a hysterectomy, endo removed, and a bowel resection because of the severe endo in March 2006.Recovery has been extremely slow and I am still very very tired all the time. I saw my endocrinologist last week and had blood drawn, now she wants to lower my synthroid from .175 mg to .15 mg. Because of the way I'm feeling I don't think this is a good idea. I'm not real happy with my current DOC and was wanting to find a new one.My original hypothyroid diagnosis took a long time and many DOCs. This was because they all just looked at my TSH. My TSH has always been in the mid range but my T3 was usually at the bottom range and sometimes below but they just ignored it. Because of this it took a long time to find meds and the right doses to treat my

depression.My current endocrinologist looks at my TSH, Free T4 and Free T3. I don't have the results of my latest blood test but the one before wasTSH 1.875 (0.350 - 5.500)Free T4 1.27 (0.61 - 1.76)Free T3 2.8 (2.3 - 4.2)Are there other tests that should be done for someone who is hypothyroid? Who are the best doctors in Houston to treat this problem? Any help or advice would be appreciated.Thanks, __________________________________________________